# The End of Something explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Ernest Hemingway.

## What happens

Nick and Marjorie go fishing at the abandoned mill site in Hortons Bay. As they set night lines for trout, the mood shifts when Nick becomes distant and tells Marjorie that their relationship is no longer fun. After a tense exchange, Marjorie leaves by boat, and Nick remains by the fire, later joined by Bill.

## Themes in this chapter

### Post-War Trauma and Alienation

Nick's emotional numbness and sense of internal decay ('everything was gone to hell inside of me') echo the alienation common in Hemingway's post-war characters.

### Masculinity and Sexual Anxiety

Nick's inability to articulate his feelings and his abrupt ending of the relationship reflect anxieties about intimacy and masculine identity.

### Nature and the Cycle of Seasons

The abandoned mill and the moonlit lake serve as a backdrop to the end of a relationship, mirroring decay and change in the natural world.

## Character check-ins

### Nick Adams

Nick rows the boat, sets the fishing lines, and initiates the breakup with Marjorie, expressing that everything feels 'gone to hell' inside him.

### Marjorie

Marjorie enjoys fishing with Nick, but becomes upset when Nick ends their relationship; she leaves by boat.

### Bill

Bill arrives after Marjorie leaves, asks Nick how he feels, and takes a sandwich from the lunch basket.

## Key lines

> I feel as though everything was gone to hell inside of me.

Nick feels that his inner world has collapsed or become meaningless.

_This line captures Nick's emotional crisis and the theme of internal desolation._

> Isn't love any fun?

Marjorie asks if love has lost its enjoyment.

_Marjorie's question highlights the shift from shared pleasure to emotional distance._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_15_se/chapters/the-end-of-something
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_15_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_15_se/chapters